I’m Keeley: a family photographer based in Bozeman, Montana. When it comes to documenting your family and milestones, whether it’s spring photos for the first time as a family of three, your entire extended family vacation, or something else entirely, my wedding shaped the way I view your moments. We chose a micro wedding with just our parents and siblings and we spent the week paddleboarding the beautiful blue waters of Bear Lake State Park. It was, for us, the perfect way to start our lives together as one family.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, my dad passed away six weeks later. After having the chance to process it all, I realized that our wedding was about more than us: it was about the creation of a new family and our photos are the first and last of our whole family, together. Photos - now tangible reminders of opportunities I’ll never have again - of my dad playing with our nephew, eating BBQ, doing all the mundane things that seemed insignificant then are now my most treasured possessions.
About Me
Our wedding day: the first and last photos of our entire immediate family. And of course my dad wore cargo shorts and ankle socks: it was kind of his go-to (see below). Photo by Nicole Aston.
I found this photo of my dad, my sister, and me a few months after he passed. It reminds me daily of everything he was to me.
My Philosophy
When it comes to photographing families, the truth is, I sometimes feel like an imposter: I don’t have kids of my own yet. But losing my dad was the thing that drove me head-first into photographing families because those photos of us together have done something for me that nothing else could. They showed me moments with him that I never knew about because I was too young to remember them at the time. And I want to do that for others.
In this era of social media, truly, I don’t care whether your photos ever make it to Instagram (or TikTok or whatever comes next). I hope their value is long-term and only grows with the passage of time. Because that bond you share isn’t just for likes and public consumption in ten seconds or less. It’s real and it evolves over time. So rather than social media, I hope your photos make it to your walls. To an album that lives on the coffee table to be handled often. We are creating heirlooms that will show your children and grandchildren your family’s legacy of love.
So yes, mom and dad, I know you are the ones booking the session and I hope that you will treasure these photos for life, but if I’m being honest, I’m working as much for your children as I am for you, because I know how much it means to be able to look back in time and see just how much a parent loved her child before the child could remember it.
Whether you’re here because you’re interested in annual family photos, a 50th birthday party, or a friend to thoughtfully document all the highs and lows of this period in time, know this: my own experience shaped the way I view yours. While I hope and trust you will have a long and happy life with everyone with whom you surround yourself, I now see your photos as a ticket to a place and time that will exist only in your memory, preserving each stage in your lives in perpetuity.